Steve Toussaint, who portrays Lord Corlys Velaryon in the Game of Thrones spinoff series House of The Dragon, has opened up against fans who have criticized his casting in the series. Toussaint, 57, while speaking to the magazine Men’s Health, has said regarding the criticism that it is easier for fans to accept that there are dragons and magic, but harder to accept that a black character is rich and powerful, his exact words being, “They are happy with a dragon flying. They’re happy with white hair and violet-colored eyes, but a rich Black guy? That’s beyond the pale.”

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House of The Dragon is inspired by the George R.R. Martin book, Fire & Blood. Martin has nowhere explicitly mentioned that Lord Corlys Velaryon is a white person, but his hair has been described as “Targaryen white-blonde”. The character is the wealthiest man in Westeros and has a large army under his command. Touissant admitted in the interview that he had no idea House of The Dragon was related to Game of Thrones before his first meeting with the showrunners.

Regarding fans’ reactions to his casting, Touissant said that most have been very enthusiastic. He stated , “What has been wonderful is for every toxic person that has somehow found their way into my timeline, there have been so many others who have been so supportive and been like, ‘Oh my god, I can’t wait, this is going to be great!’”

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House of The Dragon has already managed to create a milestone with its premiere, which became HBO’s biggest series debut of all time, with 10 million viewers tuning in to watch its first episode. The first season of the series is set to have a total of 10 episodes. Besides Touissant, the show’s cast includes names like Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma d’Arcy, and Olivia Cooke. The second episode, titled The Rogue Prince, will premiere on August 28.